Computer security tools have been deployed throughout the world to assist in protecting computing systems, devices, and resources from various threats, vulnerabilities, and risks. The evolution of malware, viruses, worms, system vulnerabilities, hacks, and threats originating from a continually-growing and internationalized universe of sources continues to keep pace with the advances in computing. Accordingly, demand for robust and sophisticated security tools to counteract such threats has also increased. Given the increasing complexity of such tools and the increasing degree to which administrators can customize their security tools to deal with specific threats, including threats unique to particular devices, systems, and applications, managing and understanding the functionality of some security tools has become too complex for all but the most sophisticated of users. One such example of a security tool that has become notoriously complex to manage is modern network firewalls. A firewall can be a device or set of devices designed to permit or deny data transmission both in and out of a system, including transmissions over a network transmissions. A firewall's operation can be based upon a set of rules or policies and can be used, for instance, to protect networks and systems from unauthorized access by nefarious users and programs, while still permitting legitimate communications. In some instances, operating systems can also include software-based firewalls to protect a corresponding system or host from various threats, such as threats commonly found and delivered via the Internet.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.